Happy thanksgiving

So, happy thanksgiving to everyone. Low key this year - Jean-Marie, Renee, and I were all independently swamped this fall with various things, and so didn't do a lot of planning ahead. And then the water was scheduled to be turned off on Tuesday night and Wednesday ahead of Thanksgiving Day in order to fix the fire hydrant, which definitely put a damper in our desire either to entertain or even cook. Then DC agreed at the last minute to postpone the repairs - good repairs, of course, working fire hydrants are a very good thing - but by then it was too late to get very revv'd up. The menu at our house is ...

Breast of turkey, because I have more or less given up on whole turkeys, in a sauce of cinammon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, garlic, ginger, a bunch of those spices - not my more usual herbes de provence thing - mixed with heart stopping plugra butter, almond oil, molassass, and fresh lemon juice, a little balsamic vinegar and a lot of brandy. Pearl onions, carrots, and prunes cooked with the turkey.

Green beans, prepared by Uncle Jack and cooked by Jean-Marie.

Mashed potatoes. Whisky mashed potatoes - the potatoes have been soaked in whisky, garlic, oilive oil, plugra butter, and salt. This is an Experiment By Ken. In fact, this whole meal I have shifted from wine to spirits for cooking. No one here drinks spirits - I don't drink at all, and Jean-Marie and Jack only wine - Renee ... hmmmmmmmmmmm, milk Store bought gravy, I'm afraid.

Roasted tomatoes and large brown mushrooms, drizzled with olive oil and salt, from me.

Squash, from Jean-Marie. Good for you? Well, not with the amount of butter she uses!

Cranberry sauce, homemade, Jean-Marie.

Cream corn using dried corn from somewhere in the Amish country.

Dessert, pumpkin, cherry, and pecan pie, all homemade butter crusts, from Jean-Marie. Pears soaked in brandy, fresh clementine juice, vanilla, almond oil, then roasted, and sprinkled with turbinado sugar.

(Notice there is no chocolate on the menu.)